Holmberg’s Morning Sickness — September 1, 2025

Episode: 09-01-25 – FULL SHOW – MONDAY
Host: John Holmberg (with Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo)
Station: 98KUPD, Arizona
Summary by AI Podcast Summarizer

Overview

This packed Monday episode of "Holmberg’s Morning Sickness" covers a lot of ground, blending irreverent humor, raunchy listener stories, and sharp takes on everything from Bible miniseries acting to car guy quirks and doomsday prepping. The crew’s banter ranges from absurd (Otter Pops as sex toys) to thoughtful (existential breakdown of doomsday survival), anchored by classic, quick-witted KUPD riffing. Notable segments include interactive listener calls about creative—and questionable—household uses for snacks and tools, an unplanned deep dive into prepping, and the always-colorful pop culture/celebrity riff sessions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holiday Gimmicks and Local Promotions

[01:09]
Holmberg introduces a Labor Day wing-eating contest and Native Grill partnership—a typical KUPD blend of local flavor and outrageous challenge.

2. Childhood Pranks & Nativity Scene Antics

[02:05–05:14]
Listener emails spur stories about "baby Jesus hunting"—where kids swipe nativity Jesuses and return them on Easter. The discussion spirals into confusion and debate about proper nativity etiquette, culminating in a mock-theological debate about Jesus’ time in the drawer.

Highlight:
Holmberg’s deadpan:

"So he has like, you know, a week or two to, you know, perform for everyone… just plastic things. And then Jesus is in a box in the garage for like two weeks. Then that's just disrespectful." [04:06]

3. Critiquing the Bible Miniseries

[05:14–09:35]
The crew bashes a biblical miniseries for its campy acting and lackluster Jesus, imagining a more charismatic, "showman" messiah. They riff on miracles, calendar systems, and why other religions use the Western (Christian) calendar.

Memorable Quote:

"Somebody that cool with that many, you know, magical gifts should have been on stage somewhere." — Holmberg [09:37]

4. Religious Satire, Buddha, and Calendars

[09:35–12:48]
Debate continues as Holmberg wonders why non-Christian cultures use the AD system. The conversation pokes fun at religious commercialism, referencing Buddha as a "Lucky Jeans" mascot and the West’s calendar dominance for global business.

5. Upcoming KUPD Music Festivals & Legalized Weed

[12:48–15:41]
The guys tease possible U Fest lineup additions that might turn the event into an unofficial "weed festival." Conversation veers into celebrity hypotheticals—who would you smoke weed with?

6. Celebrity Drug Use: Who Would You Get High With?

[13:01–18:43]
Hilarious hypotheticals—Brady and Holmberg riff on whether they'd toke with Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Hall & Oates, Paul McCartney, or even… Jesus.

"If Snoop Dogg's around, I'm smoking weed." —Holmberg [13:09]

“Would you get high with Paul McCartney? ... That’d be tough to turn down.” —Brady [15:39]

7. Listener Call-in: Unusual Sex Toy Substitutes

[22:57–31:42]
A wild, spontaneous segment erupts as listeners—mostly women—call in with stories about using Otter Pops, candles, and lifesavers as improvised sex toys. The room is both repulsed and fascinated; men start joining in with tales of inventive measures for self-pleasure (pool jets, drills, Maglites, etc.).

Most Memorable Call:

"We used to have some girls come over to the house and we used to use those Bomb Pops. The red, white and blue ones with the ridges... Put those on a cordless drill." —‘Robert’ the caller [28:36]

The vibe: Raucous, NSFW radio at its most unfiltered—total free-for-all.

8. Taboo Family Hookup – Email Advice Segment

[41:51–43:17]
An email from a listener recounts accidentally hooking up with his cousin—after noticing a picture of his dad at her place. The crew debates whether he should fess up or just ghost, and marvels at the number of cousin-themed submissions they receive.

9. Body Oddities & Confessions

[47:54–51:23]
Tales of mysterious bumps and bulges unite the team and audience; sales staff and random guys reveal odd bodily quirks (pulsing elbow lumps, forearm "pouches," weird shoulder craters, concave chests). It morphs into a celebration of human imperfection.

10. Car Guys vs. Non-Car Guys

[106:13–114:41]
A running gag about car guys and their endless projects comes to the fore—Brett reveals he’s got a secret 1957 Ford in his garage. Car maintenance spills into the house; listeners chime in with tales of home engine rebuilding. Non-car-guy John remains baffled, inciting friendly tribalism.

Highlight:

"Car guys always have a car that’s not quite right. I think it’s by design to keep it kind of sick... Vehicular Munchausen." —Holmberg [114:41]

11. Doomsday Prepping & Marital Strife

[86:13–105:08]
A listener’s complaint about his wife stockpiling prepper supplies snowballs into a sprawling debate about doomsday culture, Mormon prepping, survival buckets, and paranoid American ego. Brady details his own 90-day food/water setup, much to Holmberg’s disbelief.

Quote:

"Anybody that tells me they're a doomsday prepper might as well have a sign that says 'rob me first'." —Holmberg [90:57]

12. War Talk, News Bites & Current Events

[60:11–85:14]
Brady’s news segment covers coalition advances in Iraq, exotic kamikaze monkeys for landmine sweeping, sex and drugs on road trips, popsicles that never melt, a pooping website bust, animal heroics, and more. Political satire and international news blend with jokes and weird headlines.

13. Pop Culture, Entertainment, and Impressions

[127:20–138:16]
A classic "Entertainment Drill" includes comedic impressions, celebrity news (gay abstinence, Bell’s palsy, Waka Flocka Flame bus shooting), and riffs on Judas Priest’s farewell tour. The team invents hypothetical reality shows (Brady, Lemmy, and Rob Halford co-touring Europe) with their usual manic, gleeful humor.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Jesus as a showman:
  “He could have put on a hell of a show... All this subtle crap nonsense. If you’re that worried about, you know, spare me all this stuff. You’d have put on some thunderous stuff.” —Holmberg [08:35]

• Listener ‘Robert’ on inventive sex toys:
  “Put those Bomb Pops on a cordless drill...” [28:36]

• On the prepping craze:
  “Invest in lead. That’s what I say. Lead is your best investment.” —Holmberg [89:52]

• On car culture:
  "Car guy always has a car that's not quite right. I think it's by design to keep it kind of sick." —Holmberg [114:41]

• On doomsday prepping:
  "Why does anyone want to live in that? Why does anyone want to live in a place where you've got garage food, gun in the window, waiting, guarding your pool?" —Holmberg [98:46]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Nativity Pranks — [02:05–05:14]
• Bible Miniseries Riff — [05:14–09:35]
• Calendar Satire & Buddha — [09:35–12:48]
• Weed & Celebrities Hypotheticals — [13:01–18:43]
• Otter Pops Sex Toy Calls — [22:57–31:42]
• Car Guy Secret, Garage Culture — [106:13–114:41]
• Doomsday Prepping & Marital Combat — [86:13–105:08]
• News and Ridiculous Headlines — [60:11–85:14]
• Pop Culture/Entertainment Drill, Impressions — [127:20–138:16]

Episode Tone & Takeaways

The show is quintessentially KUPD: rowdy, uncensored, occasionally outrageous, but always clever and steeped in local Arizona flavor. It’s a blend of guy talk, blue-collar irreverence, listener community, and a total lack of filter. The hosts’ ability to turn random calls or emails into long, layered riffs is on full display, making for a potent blend of entertainment—if you can handle the edge.

Perfect For: Fans of raucous morning radio, Arizona locals, lovers of irreverent comedy, and anyone who needs a laugh (and doesn’t mind a bit of chaos along with it).